The Norwegian Gambling Authority (NGA) has notified Norsk Rikstoto, the state-run horse racing monopoly, of a potential NOK 6 million penalty following the discovery of a significant technical failure in its loss-limit system.
The breach, which went undetected for nearly three years, allowed hundreds of customers to wager well beyond mandatory safety thresholds, undermining the strict player protection model central to Norway’s gambling regulations.
The technical error originated in December 2022 and persisted until September 2025, affecting two specific syndicate-style products: Andelstorget and På Lag.
These games allow players to purchase shares in a larger betting system. Due to the glitch, wagers placed through these products did not correctly register against a player’s total loss limit. Under Norwegian law, customers are generally capped at a net loss of NOK 60,000 over a rolling 90-day period.
The NGA’s investigation revealed that 806 customers managed to exceed their limits during this period, wagering a collective NOK 4 million above the legal cap.
The severity of the breach varied, with seven individuals exceeding their limits by more than NOK 100,000. In the most extreme case, a single customer wagered NOK 643,000 beyond the permissible amount.
Compounding the regulator’s concern is the fact that many affected accounts belonged to individuals previously identified as medium or high-risk players who relied on these limits for protection.
The NGA has characterized the failure as “very serious,” noting that the proposed penalty reflects both the duration of the error and the critical nature of the safeguard that failed.
The fine represents approximately 0.63 percent of Norsk Rikstoto’s 2024 turnover. The operator has been given three weeks to respond before a final decision is issued.
This incident adds to a growing list of technical challenges facing Norway’s monopoly operators, as Norsk Tipping has also recently faced fines for system errors, intensifying the national debate regarding the resilience and reliability of state-run gambling technology.
